


If You Can't Take The Heat

by ACertainZest



Category: Castle
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 18:43:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4846244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACertainZest/pseuds/ACertainZest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three conversations that could have or should have taken place in the 12th Precinct after the first Nikki Heat book was released.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If You Can't Take The Heat

Beckett, Castle, Esposito, and Ryan are sitting in front of the murder board contemplating their latest case when Captain Montgomery's voice rings out across the bullpen. 

"Beckett. My office."

"Coming, sir," she says, rising from her desk chair. The boys give her identical expressions of _what's that all about?_ to which she replies with a shrug and raised eyebrow of _beats me_.

"What's up, cap?" she asks as she enters her boss's office. He gestures for her to close the door, and as she does, she notices what's on his desk. A copy of _Heat Wave_. Oh. Oh no. 

"Kate, I've finished reading the book," Montgomery says as she takes the seat across from him. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

"You mean other than 'I told you so'?" pops out before she can stop it, and she winces, putting fingers to her lips as if she could call the words back. "Um, sir. Sorry."

Montgomery glares for a beat, then chuckles, letting her know she's off the hook. "No, that's fair, Detective, that's fair."

"Castle," she says, as if that's all the explanation needed, and it is. The captain nods agreement.

"Yeah, I know. We forced him on you, and now here we are."

"Sir..." He's read it. He's read the sex scene. This is the last thing she wants to be talking to her boss and mentor about, but she needs to be sure he knows. "Sir, you and I both know that Castle has ... an extremely active imagination. And let me assure you, everything in that book is fictional. Everything." _Don't make me say it_ , she silently pleads, meeting her boss's eyes, trusting him to get her meaning. 

And he does. He nods. "Good. That's what I thought. And that's what I've been telling the folks at 1PP when they ask."

"Oh god." She groans and drops her face into her hands. It's exactly what she has been afraid of since the moment she read page 105. Montgomery knows her, he's seen her and Castle interact every day; he knows that if she says she isn't...involved...with Castle, it's the truth. But not everyone in the NYPD, or the rest of the city for that matter, is going to have the same mindset. 

"And another thing, Kate..." He waits until she looks up at him again. "I spoke to someone in Legal, and he said you might have grounds for a sexual harassment lawsuit, if you wanted to play it that way."

Her jaw drops. "What?"

Montgomery's expression is completely neutral. "Just saying, that option is available if you want it."

"I - no, sir. No. _No_." She stares at him, a little shocked. "You don't think I should...?"

He relaxes slightly, his shoulders releasing a tension she hadn't even realized was there. "Listen, of course I'd support you in whatever you choose on this. But no, I can't say I thought it would be the right decision."

She blows out a relieved breath. "Okay. Well, thanks for having my back, sir."

"Any time. And, Beckett, I know this might get awkward for you. We've all agreed to three more books and it would be pretty hard to back out of that at this point, but if you need him outta here, say the word and I'll see what I can do."

Beckett takes another long breath and thinks about it, even though she already knows her answer. Life with Castle around is occasionally difficult, but she has to admit -- if only to herself -- that life _without_ him around would be almost unthinkable by now. Isn't that why she reacted the way she did to the James Bond thing?

"Thanks, sir, but it's fine. I can handle him."

Her boss gives an approving nod. "Yeah, you can. Okay, get back to work."

When she emerges, all three men are playing catch with her whiteboard markers. They quickly stop, and she pretends not to notice their guilty expressions. 

"So? What's the deal?" Esposito asks as she resumes her seat. 

"Oh, nothing serious," she tosses off. "Cap just wanted to share some ideas on what to do with Castle's corpse when I finally snap and shoot him."

Castle's mouth falls open comically, but the boys simply nod. 

"Planning ahead. Good thinking," Ryan comments. 

"Count me in," adds Espo equally coolly. Castle sputters. 

"Guys. What? What did I do?"

All three cops turn to look at him, their faces registering varying flavors of disbelief. 

"Dude," says Ryan slowly, "do you even have any idea how much crap Beckett is getting about that book of yours?"

"He doesn't," Espo agrees, shaking his head disgustedly. "Totally clueless."

Castle starts to speak, smiling a little, then pauses, seeing their expressions. The grin drops away. "Wait, you're - you guys are serious? What do you mean?"

"Man," says Espo almost angrily, leaning forward, "you don't get it. You write this book about a slutty woman cop who fights dudes naked and flirts with everyone. You put yourself in the book and make her sleep with you. Whadda you think people are gonna say?" He gestures from Castle toward Beckett and then back, meaningfully. Castle blanches, his face going white, his expression moving from surprised toward horrified.

"Listen, it's one thing with us," Ryan picks up, "'cause we work with you every day and we know you, and we know Beckett isn't dumb enough to go for a dork like you." Beckett can't completely suppress a snort at that. "But not everyone can say that, and you know, people love to gossip."

"Okay, that's enough," Beckett cuts in, seeing that Castle has turned even more white, tinged with green, and Espo is revving up to a full-fledged rant. "Ryan, see if CSU is back with those fingerprints yet, and Espo, track down our vic's ex-husband. Go."

Nodding, grumbling just a little bit for show, the detectives get up and move back to their desks. Beckett grabs her coffee cup and heads to the break room for a refill. 

Castle enters while she's pouring. He still looks pale and shaken. "Beckett?"

"Take a deep breath, Castle. The boys like you, they'll be okay."

"And what about you?" He takes a step closer, his face wrought with concern. "How...how bad is this?"

Stirring sugar into her cup, she studies him for a long moment. "It really never occurred to you," she says quietly. It's not a question. "You really never took a minute to think that people would read that tequila scene and assume you and I are sleeping together."

His eyes are wide with apprehension. "It's _fiction_!"

"Oh my god, Castle." She isn't sure whether to glare or laugh at how dense he is. "Both your publisher and the NYPD have been making a huge big deal out of the fact that Nikki Heat is based on me. And it doesn't take an advanced degree in literary analysis to figure out that Rook is based on you. Plus, everyone knows you've been shadowing me for the past year." He sinks into a chair as she continues, shaking her head. "So you can't exactly be surprised that people are assuming it's a roman à clef."

"I didn't..." He shakes his head, staring at the table. "I'm sorry, Beckett. I can't believe I didn't think about - Are people really giving you a lot of crap?" Alarmed all over again, he whips his head around to look through the glass at the captain's office. "Montgomery? Was he chewing you out?"

"It's fine, Castle. The captain isn't mad. He just wanted to make sure I was okay."

"And are you?" he asks tentatively. Beckett sighs. Any residual anger she might have been feeling drains out of her at the sight of how genuinely upset Castle is. She slides into the chair across from his.

"It's really not a problem. Yeah, there's been some teasing. Cops are like that - we rib each other all the time. It doesn't mean anything."

"So you're not mad at me?" he asks, very quietly, very chastened. She's tempted to drag out the moment, make him squirm, but it feels too mean.

"No, Castle, we're good. People can think whatever they want. It doesn't bother me, as long as I know that I'm doing my job to the best of my ability and that my team has got my back."

"Well, they definitely do that," he sighs, giving a small chuckle. "I think Javier was ready to rip my head off. He's got this whole protective-little-brother thing going on."

"Yeah," she smiles back, "he goes a bit overboard, but like I said, he likes you. It'll pass."

Castle lets a beat go by, and then, even more quietly: "Beckett, can I ask you something else?"

"Sure."

"What..." He pauses to take a deep breath, still staring at the table. Tentatively he lifts his eyes up to her. "What did you think of the book? I mean, truthfully. Your honest opinion."

"Is your ego really that fragile?" she teases gently. 

"Yes," he answers simply, honestly. Then, "At least, when it comes to-" He stops himself, tries again. "I mean, this is the first time I've ever written a whole book based on someone I know."

Beckett has to pause and let herself drown in that for a moment. She still can't really quite believe it. 

Then, lifting her head to meet his eyes again, she says softly, "I thought it was great. I loved it."

"Really?" he breathes, sitting up straighter, an incredulous smile spreading slowly across his face. 

"Yeah. You really captured the precinct, the way we work. And the murder case is interesting and different. And Nikki..." She pauses, thinking about Nikki and Castle and fiction and reality all mixed up together. "Well, if I were really that much of a badass, there'd be a lot less crime in New York City."

"You _are_ that much of a badass. Didn't you see Ryan and Esposito snap to it when you yelled at them?" he grins. 

"I didn't yell," she contradicts, but she's smiling too. 

"Plus, you just used the term roman à clef in conversation, which is probably the hottest thing I've ever heard you say." He ducks his head and looks up at her through his eyelashes, a little timid, not quite sure whether he's still allowed to skirt that line between teasing and flirting. Beckett rolls her eyes and glares at him.

"Shut up, Castle." 

Relieved, he gives back his usual smirk. She takes a sip of her coffee and grimaces at how cold it has gotten. 

"I'll make you another cup," Castle says quickly, standing up and whisking the cup away before she has a chance to object. "While it's brewing I can tell you my new theory about this case."

"Okay," she agrees, going over to lean against the wall beside the espresso machine. "But if it has anything to do with the CIA, I really am gonna have to shoot you."

**Author's Note:**

> In Naked Heat (the second Nikki Heat book), Jameson Rook has to deal with everyone's feelings and reactions to the magazine article that he wrote about Nikki. It got me thinking that I wanted to see the same type of thing with Castle. Also, it's hard for me to imagine Castle not having a strong urge to find out what Beckett thinks of Nikki. Hence this little piece to fill in the gaps.


End file.
